Child of the Stars

Another Bad Day

The first period bell rang loudly in my ears. I sighed and got up from my chair and pushed it in. Claire Dawson purposely shoulders her way past me in the crowded classroom, And Drew Clark knocks my binder out of my hand by "accident". "Oops, sorry Asterik," He snickered.
       "It's fine," I sigh. I know he isn't, and he knows my name is Asterynn. Everyone at this school seems to steer clear of me, or make fun of me, calling me quiet, weird, and too gloomy and depressing. I never knew quite why they thought that, I'm always nice when people bother me, I smile when people make eye contact in the hallway, and I even open the doors for people. It's not like I put on black eyeliner and dark clothes. But no, I'm "the quiet weirdo" in the class, and in the school. I shake it off, and continue to my classes. 
                                        ***
After school, I lay on my bed and think about the kids at school and their attitude towards me. It may be my appearance. My hair is almost white it's so blonde, and my light grey-blue eye contradicts my other, brown, almost black eye, looking creepy against my pale skin.
I even heard my own parents whispering about how my heterochromia weirds them out, and they had wanted a prettier child, and how I didn't look normal, like they did. I was average aside from that, normal height and weight, some brown freckles, and a definite female voice. I hate my appearance, but it's nothing to ward people off. Nobody should be scared of that, or steer clear of it. It's just that nobody understands.
I'm not "quiet and weird", I'm shy and smart. The only person who has ever talked to me ran off once I started talking about anesthesia awareness. Maybe I am a little weird for talking about it, but who cares? Those were my thoughts at the time. People avoided me all together after that. I was just bringing up an important issue. And now, because of that, and maybe my looks, my only friend is a large fox that visits my spot in the woods.
       I once fed a fox some ham sandwich I had brought to my secret hide out in the woods, and now do it every night. "Alright," I say quietly aloud. I was about to go and fix a sandwich. Every night, I go to my spot in the woods near my house and stargaze, and bring a ham sandwich for my little fox buddy, Polaris. I named her after my favorite star, so we can be twins, and friends. My mom told me I loved stars so much because I am a star, and even my name meant "starlight". I always found it comforting.
       Leaving my thoughts, I get off of my bed and sneak to the kitchen to make the sandwich for Polaris. Once I finish, I go back to my room, and climb out of the large window. It only take five minutes to get to my stargazing spot, and I'm there in no time. I whistle for Polaris. I've managed to train her like a dog, she does tricks, and comes when I whistle if she is around.
       Soon enough, I see an orange figure come out from the woods, Polaris. I smile, my only friend is the best friend I could ever have. I feed her the sandwich, and lie down in the tall field grass. My spot is a small open field within the woods. Polaris finishes her sandwich and lays her head in my lap, falling asleep as I let her ear. I turn to the night sky. Something about it always made me calm, and relieved of any burdens, almost like it gave me hope for another day of loneliness at school that I dread.
       I look at a group of stars, which look like words at first glance. But they weren't words at first glance, they were words no matter how you look at them. I sat up, waking Polaris. She yawned and looked at me. I read the words aloud, they said:
       "We are an organization that is based on helping people like you with great potential. We want to help you unlock your true potential to help people and yourself. If you accept to come with us, you must leave everything behind, and not regret it. If so, meet at the small church north,  nine miles from your current location. You have until Sunday at dusk."
       I was astonished, never in my life had I seen stars form like that, especially not in such a mysterious message for me. Polaris gives me an almost human look. She looks sad almost, but wags her fluffy orange and brown tail. "What did I just read?" I ask myself and Polaris. Neither of us answer. I sit there and think.
       My life is not very interesting or lovable. Leaving this place, I would maybe be happy, unlocking my potential and such. My parents don't exactly love me unconditionally like most people talk about their parents. They wouldn't miss me, and it's not like my classmate would.
       The teachers might, I am the best student in the school according to the class averages and my teachers. But Polaris, Polaris definitely would. And I would miss her. What should I do?
       I scratch Polaris's ear, and she licks my hand. "Haha, love you to girl," I laugh quietly. She suddenly gets up and looks to the stars, and then dashed towards the inclosed woods with tall oak trees. "Polaris! Come here!" I yell, but she never even glances back. I look up at the stars again, like she did, what was she looking at?
       The message was gone, but the words "North, nine miles" remained. What? I walked a little ways into the woods and saw the stars move around, they now read, "North, eight half miles" No way. They guide you to where the church is from wherever you are. That makes me think there may be others. What if there were lots of people, or people I knew?
That would stop me, not from loving a better life. I was wrong, today was not just another bad day. Except Polaris ran from me, which she has never done since I found her. I would miss her as much as she would miss her nightly ear scratches and ham sandwiches. She'd be the only one. In my small town of Ashland, Oregon, the police might not even know until weeks after I left. But I don't care, and neither would they.
       I've decided, I'll go, tomorrow night, I'm running to the church in the woods using the stars. With my fast running from track practice, it would still easily be and hour or so. I run seven minute miles, so it would be exactly an hour and three minutes there. No big deal for running away only a short distance. I can do it. I'm going, leaving, for good, running to a new life, chasing the life I want. I'm chasing the stars now, to the church.
I make it back to my house and change into my pajamas, then crawl in my bed. After that, I don't even remember falling asleep. I blinked my eyes in the light, and heard birds chirping. I sat up in bed, and fixed my hair out of my eyes, which I rubbed to see better. I got up, stretched, and walked into the kitchen for cereal.
"Morning Tootsie," I said to the fat brown cat drinking water from his bowl. He meowed and rubbed my leg as I poured my corn flakes. As I ate, I thought about last night. Polaris running away, the message, and my soon-to-be new life. It was all too much for me, so I put it aside as a problem for another hour of this warm day. Mom was at work right about now, and Dad would be on his night shift for another few hours.
I'm alone with my thoughts now. I felt Tootsie stop rubbing saints my leg, leaving it cold. He meowed crazily and started hissing at the door. "What is it boy?" He scratched the door and walked in circles. "What is wrong with you?" I asked, and not to my surprise, no answer was given.
I heard a familiar sound. A fox call. "Polaris?!" I run to the door and shoo Tootsie. He runs off, and I open the door. Polaris runs in and jumps in my arms. I've gotten used to her doing this by now and easily hold onto her. She rubbed her head against my chest and seems to smile. I smile with her, and go sit on my couch.
She hops down and sits beside me. I just realized that she should not be here, and wonder how she even found me. She nudged me and I look at her. I never noticed it, but she held a piece of paper in her mouth. I gently grabbed it and unfolded it.
It was a note, reading, "Don't go yet, Asterynn. I know who you are, and where you plan to go. It isn't what you imagine, come to me and I'll explain. Meet me today in your spot in the woods as soon as you get this."
I look back at Polaris, who was staring at me. "How did you get this? And how did you know where to bring it?" I ask to more myself than her. She jumped off the couch and ran at the door, and glanced, almost as if she wanted me to follow her. And so I did.
       Where are we going Polaris? She turns her head and called. Why did she call, and who was it to? My question answered itself. We were at my spot, and we weren't alone. A tall woman in a business outfit stood in the center of the small open field. I hesitantly walk up to her, but see that Polaris runs to her and rubs against her legs. That calms me, and I move forward comfortably.
       "You came, I'm relieved," the tall woman said to me.
       "Yes ma'am, Polaris seemed to want me to, so, I trust your letter," I reply confidently.
       "Good, because this topic is important. Sit down, and listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you," she remained standing up as I sat down beside her. "I know about the message you received last night. The organization is not to be trusted, it doesn't want to just strengthen you, it is at war with my organization. They are bad people, and we have been trying for months to find out how they plan to stop us," she sat down and looked me in the eye, "I am not allowed to tell you exactly how, but use your brain, and you can do it," she said in one, long breath.
       "Do what?" I question.
       "Once they train you, or as they train you, find out how they plan to stop our organization. I come to you to tell you this because you are the only one capable, according to my partner. So, you cannot tell anybody, and trust very few. You can do it, but it will be tough," she finished.
       "Al- alright I'll do it... I guess," I say with uncertainty.
       "I trust you, the protection of our organization is in your hands. Oh, and you will know when to come back, but don't leave until you receive the sign," with that, she stood up, and..... disappeared? How did she do that? I shook my head and slapped my cheeks. Polaris nodded her head. She what?
       "Polaris?" I ask.
       I heard a sigh, and looked around rapidly from where it came from. "Down here Asterynn," I slowly look down at Polaris. "Hi," my friend fox just spoke, like, for real. "Calm down, I'm not really a fox," she said.
       "What? What? What is going on?" I complained in a yell.
       "The leaders of the other organization you will be at made me like this. I've been coming to you to make sure you had what it takes," she said. It all confused me; between my talking fox, the two organizations, and the disappearing messenger. It was so weird, all of it. But she said I had to do it, for her organization.
That strikes a thought, "What is your real name, Polaris?" I asked.
"Call me Polaris, you'll see one day," she spoke, "and you better go home, before your parents come home, it's been a while," she ran away again as she said that. I ran in my own respective direction. I was ready for tonight, and ready to help the woman, and Polaris.